Patent Application
20160037913
Many racks are sold and/or shipped in an unassembled state and then assembled where the rack is to be used. The assembly can be complex and require tools. After assembly, the rack may have limited versatility with regard to the configuration of the assembled rack.
It is desirable to provide a rack that can be shipped or stored in a flat configuration and easily manipulated to an upright position for use. It is also desirable for such a rack to be sturdy in the upright position even if the rack is “assembled” without tools. It is still further desirable for the rack to be versatile not only in the movement between the flat and upright positions, but also to be adaptable to different configurations in the upright position.
Some embodiments of the present invention are directed to a rack. The rack includes a base resting on a horizontal surface, a top and four elongated legs. Each leg includes a bottom portion pivotally connected to the base and a top portion pivotally connected to the top. The rack is movable between a flat position, with the legs are substantially parallel to the horizontal surface, and an upright position, with the legs are substantially perpendicular to the horizontal surface.
In some embodiments, the base and the top are substantially parallel to the horizontal surface in each of the flat and the upright positions.
In some embodiments, the rack includes a plurality of fasteners configured to lock the rack in the upright position. The plurality of fasteners may be thumb screws. The bottom portion of each leg may be pivotally connected to a corresponding support member of the base and the top portion of each leg may be pivotally connected to a corresponding support member of the top. In the upright position, an aperture at the bottom portion of each leg may be aligned with an aperture of the corresponding support member of the base and an aperture at the top portion of each leg may be aligned with an aperture of the corresponding support member of the top. In the upright position, one of the fasteners may be received through the aligned apertures at the bottom portion of each leg and the corresponding support member of the base and another one of the fasteners may be received through the aligned apertures at the top portion of each leg and the corresponding support member of the top.
In some embodiments, in the upright position, each leg includes a plurality of shelf mounting features at different vertical positions relative to the horizontal surface, with the rack further including a shelf releasably mounted between the legs and substantially parallel to the horizontal surface at a selected vertical position using the shelf mounting features. The plurality of shelf mounting features may include a column of spaced apart apertures in each leg. The shelf may include a plurality of pins with one of the pins received in one of the apertures of each leg. The plurality of pins may include first and second pins. The first pin may be operatively connected to a first button on the shelf with the first pin configured to retract into the shelf responsive to actuation of the first button. The second pin may be operatively connected to a second button on the shelf with the second pin configured to retract into the shelf responsive to actuation of the second button.
In some embodiments, each leg includes a lower leg member and an upper leg member that is movable relative to the lower leg member such that the rack is adjustable in height in the upright position. The upper leg member may be slidably received in the lower leg member. The lower leg member may include an aperture and the upper leg member may include a column of spaced apart apertures that can be selectively aligned with the aperture of the lower leg member. The rack may include a locking member that extends through the selectively aligned apertures to lock the rack in a selected extended position.
In some embodiments, the rack includes equipment mounting features on outer surfaces of two of the legs. The equipment mounting features may be provided in spaced apart groups of two mounting features with the two mounting features in a respective group spaced apart a distance such that 1 rack unit (1 U) equipment can be mounted thereto. The equipment mounting features may be provided in spaced apart groups of two mounting features such that one of the mounting features of one group and one of the mounting features of an adjacent group are spaced apart a distance such that 2 rack unit (2 U) equipment can be mounted thereto.
Some other embodiments of the present invention are directed to a rack. The rack includes a base resting on a horizontal surface, a top and four elongated legs. Each leg includes a bottom portion pivotally connected to the base and a top portion pivotally connected to the top. The rack is movable between a flat position, wherein the legs are substantially parallel to the horizontal surface, and an upright position, wherein the legs are substantially perpendicular to the horizontal surface. The rack is lockable in the upright position. The rack is extendable from the upright position to a plurality of different selectable extended positions. The rack is lockable in the selected extended position.
In some embodiments, the rack includes a plurality of shelf mounting features at various selectable heights relative to the horizontal surface. The rack may include one or more shelves releasably mounted to the rack between the legs at one or more selected heights.
In some embodiments, in the flat position, the rack has a height of between about 4.5 and 6.5 inches and, in the upright position, the rack has a height of between about 22 and 24 inches. In some embodiments, in the flat position, the rack has a height of between about 4.5 and 6.5 inches and, in the upright position, the rack has a height of between about 36 and 38 inches.
Some other embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method including providing a rack. The rack includes a base resting on a horizontal surface, a top and four elongated legs, with each leg including a bottom portion pivotally connected to the base and a top portion pivotally connected to the top. The method includes rotating the rack from a flat position, wherein the legs are substantially parallel to the horizontal surface and the base and the top are substantially parallel to the horizontal surface, to an upright position, wherein the legs are substantially perpendicular to the horizontal surface and the base and the top are substantially parallel to the horizontal surface.
In some embodiments, the method includes locking the rack in the upright position using a thumb screw that extends through each leg and the base and a thumb screw that extends through each leg and the top.
Some other embodiments of the present invention are directed to a shelf configured to be releasably mounted to a rack. The shelf includes a shelf body, first and second fixed pins on a first side of the shelf body, first and second retractable pins on a second, opposite side of the shelf body and at least one actuator. The at least one actuator is operatively connected to the first and second retractable pins, and the first and second retractable pins are configured to retract into the shelf body responsive to actuation of the at least one actuator.
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown. In the drawings, the relative sizes of regions or features may be exaggerated for clarity. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “coupled” or “connected” to another element, it can be directly coupled or connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly coupled” or “directly connected” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
In addition, spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both an orientation of over and under. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
It is noted that any one or more aspects or features described with respect to one embodiment may be incorporated in a different embodiment although not specifically described relative thereto. That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination. Applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to be able to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner. These and other objects and/or aspects of the present invention are explained in detail in the specification set forth below.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
A rack or rack assembly 10 according to some embodiments is shown in
Referring to
The rack 10 includes two front legs 16 and two back or rear legs 18. Each one of the legs 16, 18 is pivotally connected to the base 12 and the top 14. The legs 16, 18 may be metal or polymeric. A suitable material for the legs 16, 18 is steel.
As illustrated, each front leg 16 includes a lower leg member 20 and an upper leg member 22. The upper leg member 22 may be slidably received in the lower leg member 20. Similarly, each rear leg 18 includes a lower leg member 24 and an upper leg member 26. The upper leg member 26 may be slidably received in the lower leg member 24. It will be understood that other telescopic leg configurations are contemplated.
Each of the lower leg members 20, 24 may include an outer leg glider 30 at a top of the lower leg member. Each of the upper leg members 22, 26 may include an inner leg glider 32 at a bottom of the upper leg member. The outer leg gliders 30 may engage an outer surface of the upper leg members 22, 26 as they slide within the lower leg members 20, 24. The inner leg gliders 32 may engage an inner surface of the lower leg members 20, 24 as the upper leg members 22, 26 slide therein. The leg gliders 30, 32 have smooth surfaces for reduced friction as the legs slide relative to one another. The leg gliders 30, 32 may be formed of a relatively low-friction polymeric material; an exemplary suitable material is polyethylene.
As seen in
In some embodiments, and referring to
Similarly, as shown in
In some embodiments, and referring to
An upper leg member and a corresponding lower leg member may be releasably locked to one another using a locking member. For example, as shown in
As shown by the arrow in
Still referring to
As shown in
Turning to
The shelf assembly 60 includes a pair of retractable pin assemblies 70 at a side of the shelf body 64 opposite the stationary pins 66. The retractable pin assembly 70 includes a retractable pin 72. The retractable pin 72 is generally L-shaped and includes first and second legs 74, 76. A biasing member such as a spring 78 extends around at least a portion of the first leg 74. The assembly 70 also includes an actuator such as a button 80 and an actuator cover such as a button cover 82. The button cover 82 includes an aperture or passageway 84. The button 80 includes a slot 86.
As assembled, the button 80 is at least partially received in the button cover 82. The first leg 74 of the retractable pin 72 extends through the aperture 84 of the button cover 82 and through the button 80. The second leg 76 of the retractable pin 72 is received in the slot 86 of the button 80. The spring 78 biases the retractable pin 72 out of and away from the shelf body 64. Specifically, the retractable pin first leg 74 extends out of an aperture 88 formed in the body 64.
The button 80 and the button cover 82 are shaped, sized and configured such that, when depressed, the button 80 can translate a limited distance in the direction A within the button cover 82 and into the shelf body 64 (
A user can position and mount the shelves 60 as follows. The user may tilt or otherwise manipulate the shelf 60 so that it fits between the legs 16, 18. The stationary pins 66 may be positioned and received in apertures 62 in one of the front legs 16 and one of the rear legs 18. The user may depress the buttons 80 and level or otherwise align the shelf 60, then release the buttons 80 such that the retractable pins 72 are received in apertures 62 in the other one of the front legs 16 and the other one of the rear legs 18. In this configuration the shelf 60 is mounted (e.g., releasably mounted) in the rack 10. As shown, shelves 60 can be mounted in a plurality of different locations due to the plurality of apertures 62 in the legs 16, 18.
When installed, the shelves 60 are configured to hold equipment or other objects. The shelves 60 may be metal or polymeric. A suitable material for the shelf 60 (or the shelf body 64) is steel.
It is contemplated that only one actuator or button could be used to retract the spring-loaded retractable pins 72. For example, the second legs 76 of the retractable pins 72 could be elongated and extend into a centrally located button and button cover (i.e., a button and button cover located between the buttons 80 and button covers 82 shown in
Referring to
Referring again to
In some embodiments, and as shown by the arrow in
As noted earlier, a locking member 50 may be used to lockingly engage one of the lower leg members with its corresponding upper leg member. For example, in the upright position shown in
Each locking member 50 may releasably lock one of the lower leg members with its corresponding upper leg member. For example, the locking members 50 may be rotatable lock pins (e.g., quarter-turn lock pins) that can be rotated or turned such that they extend out of the apertures 94, 96. The rack 10 can then be extended to a plurality of extended positions by, for example, pulling the top 14 upward such that the aperture 94 of each lower leg member aligns with another one of the apertures 96 of its corresponding upper leg member. The rack 10 may be “fully” extended by aligning the aperture 94 of each lower leg member with the lowermost aperture 96 of its corresponding upper leg member. The rack 10 may be locked in a desired extended position by reinserting and/or rotating or turning the locking members 50 in the opposite direction.
As shown in
Referring now to
The rack 10 may have different dimensions than those described above. In some embodiments, the rack 10 is configured as a computing or an audio/video (AV) rack. In such embodiments, the dimensions described above with the smaller heights H1, H2 and length L may provide a rack that is a 10 Rack Unit (10 U) rack in the upright position and a 15 U rack in the extended position. Further, the dimensions described above with the larger heights H1, H2 and length L may provide a rack that is a 16 U rack in the upright position and a 24 U rack in the extended position.
In some embodiments, and referring to
The mounting features 102 are configured such that rack-mounted equipment such as AV equipment may be mounted thereto. As shown in
In some embodiments, the rack 10 is compliant with the Electronic Industries Association Standard EIA-310-D. For example, the horizontal and vertical spacing of the mounting features 102 as well as other dimensions of the rack 10 meet the requirements of EIA-310-D.
The rack 10, whether in its flat or upright position, can be easily flipped or otherwise manipulated if rack-mounted equipment is preferred to be on the top, bottom, rear or front of the rack 10.
As discussed above, the rack 10 can be easily manipulated from the flat position (
Although in some embodiments the rack 10 is useful as a computing or AV rack, the rack 10 can also be used for other applications, such as for holding or storing items in closets, garages, workshops and so forth.
The rack 10 described above is sturdy and is capable of holding relatively heavy equipment or items on the shelves 60 and/or receiving relatively heavy rack-mounted equipment using the mounting features 102. In some embodiments, the rack 10 has a load capacity of up to 400 pounds.
As described above, embodiments of the invention provide a versatile rack assembly that allows a user to manipulate the rack from the flat position as shipped or stored to the upright position and then secure the rack in the upright position. Embodiments of the invention provide a rack that allows a user to extend and retract the rack to select from a plurality of available rack heights and then secure the rack at the desired height. Embodiments of the invention provide a rack that allows a user to releasably mount one or more shelves at a plurality of available vertical locations. The rack can be broken down to the flat position for shipping or storage. All of these operations can be performed without the use of tools.
With reference to
In some embodiments, the rack 10 does not include extendable or telescopic legs. For example, the legs 16, 18 may not include upper and lower members. Instead, each leg 16, 18 may be a single member that is pivotally connected to the base 12 and the top 14. In such embodiments, the rack 10 may still have the dimensions described above. For example, even though not extendable, the legs 16, 18 may have lengths such that the rack has a height of H1 or H2 in the upright position.
The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.
